


A Rose By Any Other Name

by loveyoutoobits (lostflares)



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Kid Fic, M/M, thats about it, this will possibly turn into a short series later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 06:36:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13161309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostflares/pseuds/loveyoutoobits
Summary: Jack and Eric are ready to adopt a kid, but they don't have time for a baby. Luckily, they find the perfect older kid.





	A Rose By Any Other Name

**Author's Note:**

> The title is a pun. I think I'm clever.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I don't like doing research. Or at least, not a lot of research. So, all things pertaining to adoption is just based off things I've read in the past or my own knowledge. If it is completely factually inaccurate, sorry to disappoint you. I'm not gonna rewrite everything just to end up correct. Just imagine in the AU world of Check Please that adoption processes and orphanages work in this way.
> 
> This fic took me a literal year to write because I ended up taking a 7 month break from finishing it and editing it in order to write 4 different fics in between (yeah. all 4 fics posted on here were written in the time I should have been writing this one)

Jack and Eric have been married for five years. Their parents were impatient to become grandparents, but both were too busy at the moment to become parents to a baby, though that was eventually in their plan. Jack, being a full-time NHL star forward, certainly did not have time to share parental duties with Eric, who in his own right was busy, being the head baker, manager, and soon-to-be owner of a local bakery. Both really wanted children, and had discussed it at length as the years went on, and both had come to a decision: they weren’t going to get a baby—yet. They were going to adopt a kid, someone who knew how to talk and walk and pee, so that Jack and Eric wouldn’t have to pause their busy lives to raise this child, or risk missing out because they had hired someone else to do it all.

What they wanted was a child who was older than five. That was their only rule—no babies. This lead to some interesting interviews, and variations of the same questions. Why did they not want babies? Were they financially incapable of raising a baby? Did they think they couldn’t be maternal since they were both guys? (Both Jack and Eric took offense to that last question.) Despite this interview process lasting a month, every agency seemed to be satisfied with the answer of lack of time to raise a baby.

Then, it was time for the process of finding a child to adopt. Both Jack and Eric decided that they wanted only one at first, see how well they could take care of one child before getting any more. They tended to agree on all aspects like this—no baby, only one child, doesn’t matter what gender.

They also had one other thing they agreed on—they wouldn’t re-name the child unless the child wanted a different name. Jack and Eric believed that every kid who had a name is allowed to keep that name, and that Jack and Eric would have plenty of time to think of a name for a child once they finally had time for a baby of their own. A name could be just a name to these children, or it could be all they have, or it could be a bad reminder. So, they wanted to give the kid the ability to choose.

Each orphanage or foster home or agency they visited proved disappointing. Every kid they met was excited at the prospect of a new home, and would put on airs, bragging of accomplishments or practically begging to go with them. No matter what Eric wanted, they could not adopt each one, and no matter what Jack wanted, they couldn’t adopt the first kid who claimed they could skate. Ultimately, they were never really  _ sold  _ on any one kid. And Jack and Eric hadn’t agreed on one child at any location. One kid could speak to Eric, but no matter how cute the two looked, a different kid would be Jack’s favourite. 

Their schedules didn’t allow them to constantly search. They could only look around when Jack was home or when Eric could take time off to go with Jack to a nearby state to the orphanage or agency there. Their search for the right child would sometimes be put on hold for weeks on end, because both would be too busy to even see each other. With each passing week they became more and more dejected.

Two months after the start of their search, in late March, Jack and Eric entered an orphanage in New York. Eric had managed to get an entire week off from work, and Jack had a three day break before his next game, so they had plenty of time to search for the right child to take back with them to Providence. The well-lit building they stood in now was the third on a list of orphanages in the area. Both hoped for third time’s a charm, but both were afraid of a third strike. Neither one cared much for baseball.

A cheery social worker greeted them, introduced herself as Cassidy Grant, and asked them a few questions about what they were looking for, before leading them down a hallway to a big room.

The room had windows all along one wall, letting  sunlight into the playroom. Within, there were about twenty children, the oldest being 13, the youngest being about 5. The majority of the kids were younger, with only a couple older than 10. All the younger kids looked up hopefully as Jack and Eric walked in, but seemed content to keep playing with each other. A girl across the room, who was seated alone at a table by the windows, only glanced at the couple briefly before going back to whatever she was working on. She seemed to be the oldest in the room, and just about completely disillusioned by the whole thing. Eric was no longer looking at the younger children, instead all his attention was focused on that girl.

He reached over and gripped Jack’s arm, tugging lightly, while never taking his eyes off the girl. Jack, who had been talking to Ms. Grant about some of the closer kids in the room, looked down at Eric, then followed his gaze to the girl. Jack turned back to Ms. Grant, who had trailed off when she noticed she’d lost her audience.

“That girl over there, what about her?” Ms. Grant looked to where Jack was gesturing, and her smile faltered. Both men looked at each other, but waited for her to say something.

“Oh um… Her name is Sola. She’s 13, our oldest. She’s been in and out of foster homes, mostly due to emotional connection issues. She’s probably what one would call a problem child,” Ms. Grant gave an uncomfortable chuckle at that, but seeing the looks on Jack and Eric’s faces, she cleared her throat and continued. “She’s been with us for about… 10 years-” probably guessing that Jack and Eric wanted to hear  _ good  _ things about her, Ms. Grant quickly changed subjects, “-but she’s a smart young girl, and very creative. I bet you right now that she’s drawing something over there. She told me once, when she was younger, that she dreamed of being a famous artist. She is really rather good.”

Eric gripped Jack’s arm tighter, and even Ms. Grant could tell that Eric was sold, and had been from the moment he saw Sola. No other child had garnered such a response, and Jack was already willing to concede if it made his husband happy.

“Can we go over and talk to her?” Jack asked, and Eric gave a sharp intake of breath, finally dragging his eyes from Sola to his husband. Jack would’ve laughed at the hope in Eric’s eyes if he didn’t know how big of a deal it was. No other child had managed to speak to both of them yet.

“Of course. I’ll be just down the hall in my office,” Ms. Grant said, though neither Zimmermann-Bittle payed attention, as Eric dragged Jack with him to the big windows. Eric took a seat at the table, near enough to the girl to be conversational, far enough away to give her a chance to start the conversation. Jack stood off to the side, looking out the windows, while still keeping an eye on the conversation.

She was a beautiful child. Olive skin, a splash of freckles, green eyes, brown curly hair pulled back into twin braids that fell to her waist. She was left handed, Eric saw, from how she was drawing. And what she was drawing was breathtaking. For a 13-year-old, she was phenomenal. Eric looked out the windows beside them, and saw the same scene that she had drawn. Almost like she had traced it to her page. Later Jack would laugh at that thought, because it’s really hard to draw a good  _ anything  _ when all you have is crayons, but Eric still loved it.

Sola continued with her drawing, coloring in a tree, although occasionally she would glance up at Eric, each time going back to her drawing with a bit more insistence. Eric was content to let her start the conversation when she was comfortable, and Jack was content to look out the window. Finally, Sola put down her crayon with a huff.

“Don’t you want to play with one of the kids?” She said, looking finally at Eric with wide eyes. Eric give a little shake of his head, settling it on the palm of his hand.

“I want to talk to you.” Eric told her.  _ I want to take you home and spoil you rotten  _ , he thought. But even Eric had enough patience with these types of things. Sola looked behind her at Jack, but turned back to Eric.

“Oh, ok then. Who are you?” Sola said, and Eric almost heard the hope in her voice. It almost made her sound smaller than when she spoke before, and Eric was falling even more in love with her by the minute.

“My name is Eric Zimmermann-Bittle, and over there is my husband, Jack Zimmermann-Bittle. We live in Providence, Rhode Island. Jack is a famous hockey player, and I’m a baker. We’ve been married for five years,” Eric knew he was basically saying their interview spiel, but he didn’t know what else to say about them. He didn’t want to be too much right off the bat. He really wanted to take Sola home, but he also wanted Sola to  _ want  _ to come home with them. This was their last stop, Eric was certain.

“Rhode Island? What are you guys doing over here?” If it was possible, her eyes had gotten even wider. Eric didn’t want to tell her the truth, that they had seen over a hundred children, it felt like, and had left empty handed from every place from here to Boston. That Sola might be the first child they had met that they would both be willing to take home. That if they left this orphanage empty handed, that Eric would consider giving up and going the baby-route. That Eric wanted a child to choose them just as much as they chose the child. Eric really didn’t want to tell her any of this. Eric had to tell this child  _ something  _ though.

“We hadn’t found the right kid,” Jack stepped in, and Eric flashed him a grateful smile. If he hadn’t already, he would marry that boy. “I’ve got a game down here, and I knew that we might have some good luck if we looked in the area.”.

“Why aren’t you looking at the babies or the younger kids?” Sola gestured to said younger kids, who were still playing around, though a few had peeled off to a separate corner to play a quieter game. Eric glanced at them, but none stood out to him, really. 

“Well,” Eric answered this time, “I said Jack was a famous hockey player, right? He’s always travelling, so he isn’t home a lot, and a baby needs a lot more attention than an older kid. I can’t take care of one either, because I’m the head baker and soon-to-be owner of a local bakery up in Providence. I was barely able to get the time off to come down here, but I’m glad I did. I got to meet you.” He flashed her another brilliant smile, and Jack gave a soft chuckle. Sola looked away from Jack, aimingher wide eyes back to Eric.

“What’s so special about me?” She glanced down at her hands, picking at her nails. Eric softened his smile, and didn’t wait for her to look back at him before he answered.

“I don’t really know,” he said. She flipped her head up, and even Jack looked caught off guard by that. But it was the truth. Eric  _ didn’t  _ know what was so special about her. Why he felt so drawn to her. But he knew he wanted to make her smile. He wanted to bake with her, take her with him to the rink and teach her to skate, to watch Jack teach her to skate in a different way, to watch her bond with Lardo, and laugh at Shitty, and Holster and Ransom and Nursey and Dex and Chowder. He could see her being loved and loving each and every one of their friends. And maybe  _ that’s  _ what was so special—she could fit into their family so seamlessly. “I’d like to find out, though. I’d love to find out.”

“I-” whatever response Sola was going to give was interrupted by an apologetic cough from Ms. Grant, who had re-entered the room.

“I’m sorry, Mr. and Mr. Zimmermann-Bittle, but the orphanage is closing. Unfortunately, I can’t allow you to spend more time with Sola or any of the other children today. It’s policy, you see. But you can always come back tomorrow, we open up at 10am.” She put a hand on Jack’s arm and gestured for Eric to follow them to the door. Eric glanced back at Sola briefly, but sighed and got up. Rules were rules, and he knew he would come back. He had to.

Before they got very far, Sola called out, “Wait, Mr. Eric! Wait a second Ms. Cassy!” When the three adults turned to look back at Sola, she had picked up a pencil from the table and written something on her drawing, which she then grabbed and ran down, holding it out a bit shyly to Eric. Eric’s face split into a smile, and he gently took it, noticing the finished drawing now had a signature attached.

“Thank you so much, Sola. We’ll be back!” Eric waved as he continued out of the room, leaving Sola standing there, the fresh hope evident in her eyes as the door swung shut.

* * *

 

Back in their hotel room after a quiet drive, Jack sat on their bed with a chuckle, giving a loving gaze to his husband.

“What? What are you laughing at, Mr. Zimmermann?” Despite the hyphenated last name, they kept to their pet names. It had been 7 years, what would be the point of ever stopping?

“Nothing, Bits, I swear. Just... you really love that girl, don’t you?” He pulled on one of the arms that Eric had crossed, moving it out and putting their hands together. Eric sighed, at both the question and gesture, and looked down at their joined hands.

“I’m sorry, honey. I know I had a one track mind today. There’s just something about that girl. She’s… She… ugh I don’t know,” Eric sighed again. He still didn’t know what it was about Sola.

“Yeah, telling her you don’t know why you like her so much was a good move,” Jack chirped, but before Eric could give an indignant reply, Jack reached out to put a placating hand on Eric’s shoulder and continued, “but I think I understand. She would really like Lardo, right? And everyone else too. And our parents would spoil her rotten. And so would I, to be honest. If you love her, I love her.” Eric leaned his forehead against Jack’s. That Jack knew him so well—although a fact known for the 7 years they’d been together—was still a relief. Every soft moment like this still felt special, and Eric couldn’t help how in love he was with this boy.

He pulled away, and moved to the table in the corner of the room, where he had put down Sola’s drawing. She’d signed her first name, but Eric thought it looked a little hesitant and small in the corner. “How would you feel if I offered her the choice of a new name?”

Eric didn’t turn to look at Jack, so when two arms surrounded his shoulders, he gave a little jump, before settling back. “I think giving her a choice is the right idea. With a baby, it’s not like they ever hear their original name when they are growing up. But Sola is a child. She might be attached to it. Let her be what she wants. If she wants a new name, we should pick one out that fits her. If she doesn’t, we shouldn’t get too attached to the name we pick.” Jack gave a small laugh at that, but it was more to relieve whatever tension was in the decision. Jack didn’t want to be too attached to the idea of being able to take Sola home, but he knew that Eric would come back as much as possible to win her over. They were both tired of leaving empty handed.

The two stood like that for a while, Eric’s hands on Jack’s arms around Eric’s shoulders. Both of them stared down at the drawing. They settled further into their comfortable silence. They wanted so badly to add a new person to their family, and they both wanted so badly for Sola to be the one. They both wanted her to choose them. They wanted to be as comfortable as the two of them are now.

“Do you think the kitchen staff would let me bake a pie? Or some cookies?” Jack laughed into Eric’s hair, even as Eric continued. “What if I brought my own ingredients?”

* * *

 

“I can’t believe they actually let you use the kitchens because you had your own ingredients. They even wanted to make the cookies for you after hearing the story. And then they wanted to hire you after trying your cookies.” Jack poked his husband in the side as they re-entered the orphanage. Ms. Grant met them in the entrance with a warm smile and a gesture to wait for a moment. When she returned, she led them down the hall, this time stopping at a different door than before.

“The kids are sitting down to lunch, but I see you brought cookies so they won’t mind the intrusion if you don’t mind sharing with all of them. It’s the same group from yesterday, and Sola is there too.” She opened the door, gesturing for the couple to enter in front of her. Eric, with his tupperware filled with chocolate chip cookies, entered first, and this time only Sola looked excited to see him. Jack followed closely behind, and Ms. Grant closed the door behind them.

“Hi kids, The Zimmermann-Bittles stopped by to share some home baked cookies with you, that you can have after your lunch,” she announced.

“There’s enough for y’all to have two each, but by all means, don’t let me stop you from having a third, or sharing.” Eric put his tupperware down on the kitchen counter, then walked to the table that Sola was sitting at. All the rest of the kids, who had perked up considerably at the mention of the cookies, were chattering away together, paying Jack and Eric no more attention. Sola looked excited that they had come back, flashing them a crooked smile when they approached. A few of the kids at her table took their food to another table, probably going through this routine multiple times before, leaving the two chairs closest to Sola open for the two men to sit down, one on either side.

“You came back.” She said it almost like a question, and Eric’s heart broke with how much hope was shoved into that little line, but he still gave her a smile.

“Of course! Me and Jack wanted to get to know you better.” He gestured across to Jack, who thankfully flashed a smile of his own as Sola looked between the two. “We’d really like you to  _ want  _ to come home with us.”

“Oh! Ummm… what do you wanna know?” She looked down at her plate, but Eric could tell she was pleased.

“Well, what do you like to do? For fun.” Jack asked, giving a small grimace to Eric at his own awkwardness. Eric wanted to marry this boy all over again.

Sola looked at Jack. “Oh, well, I like to draw… Cassy might’ve told you that I wanna be a famous artist? Not like that’ll ever happen… but I still like the idea. Um… I like to play outside, with the other kids. I like to read too! In school I like history? Ummm…” Eric could tell with each word that Jack was falling more in love with this kid. Maybe soon he’ll be just as in love with her as Eric is.

“Who says that’ll never happen? That drawing you gave me? I’mma get it framed. It would fit right in with Jack’s photography and our friend Larissa’s paintings. And if you like history, you’ll love talking to Jack here, since he’s got a degree in it.” With each word, Sola’s eyes widened, and she seemed even more excited about the prospect of living with them (Eric hoped).

“What’s your favourite color?” Eric asked. Sola looked taken aback by the simple question. It was so simple compared to what he had asked before, yet she spent more time thinking about it.

“I think my favourite color is green? It matches my eyes…. Or at least, that’s what Ms. Cassy says,” she said after a few seconds. Eric looked at her eyes, the same green he had noticed yesterday, and nodded, smiling wide.

“What’s your favourite food then? I’d love to make it for you. And don’t worry, I can make anything.”

“You can make  _ anything _ ?” She glances at him in amazement before thinking for awhile. “Can you make paella?” She looked at him hopefully, and Eric thought about it. He hadn’t really made it before, but it’s not like he wasn’t willing to learn just to make her happy.

“Of course I can! You like paella, then I’ll make you paella,” he said, the smile never leaving his face. He was head over heels for this girl, and he was going to try his hardest to do everything to make her want to come home with them.

“A few more questions: do you know how to bake?”

“And do you know how to skate?” Jack looked directly at Eric, as if challenging him on the importance of these two things. Even if Jack hadn’t said it, Eric would’ve asked, but it’s always nice to know your husband is on the same page as you.

“We don’t really get to use the kitchens much because they don’t want us getting in the way. The nearest rink is about an hour east of here, so, um, I guess I don’t.” She looked a lot more dejected than earlier, maybe taking these questions as some sort of deal breaker. But Eric, and Jack too, had other ideas.

“Would you like to?” The pair asked in unison, catching all three of them off guard. Jack and Eric dissolved into giggles, and Sola looked between the two in confusion. Eric reached across the table to Jack, who took his hand in his, giving a meaningful look that was reflected back.

Eric tried again. “Sola, would you like to come home with us? And learn to skate, and learn to bake? And have an aunt to talk about art with, and a slew of uncles who would spoil you rotten, and two pairs of grandparents too. And two dads, who, if the uncles and the grandparents didn’t, would  _ definitely  _ spoil you rotten. Would you like to join our family?” By the middle of it, Sola was nodding, and by the end of it she was crying, and even though both Eric and Jack knew her answer, it was still a very welcome sound to hear:

“Yes!!”

~

The moment was short lived. Eric’s phone rang. He shot a worried glance at the caller ID, and gave an apologetic smile to Sola. “I have to take this, it’s a work call. I’ll be right back.” He got up from the table, and answered the phone as he stepped out into the hallway. Jack looked after him, but looked back to Sola after a moment.

“I’m sure whatever it is, he’ll sort it out. He’s good at fixing people’s problems. We are really excited to start the process of taking you home.” Jack smiled at her, and she answered with her own smile. Both of them looked anxiously to the door after a minute. The phone call was lasting a lot longer than they expected.

Eric reentered the room after a couple more minutes, looking worried and a little sad. Jack stood up and moved to his husband, who refused to look at Jack or Sola. “Hey, Bits, what’s wrong?” He put a light hand on Eric’s crossed arms, and waited patiently for Eric to talk.

“They need me to come back. Amanda can’t come in tomorrow, Tyler doesn’t know how to bake, and Cynthia said that she can’t do it all by herself. She didn’t want to cut my vacation short, but Tyler is really hopeless in the kitchen and Cynthia’d need someone out front anyways, and no one can bake like I can, and they don’t want to put out things slower or have to close early or be unable to fulfill custom orders. They need me Jack. But that means I have to leave tonight, and this whole process is so much longer than a couple hours. I just—I don’t want to let anyone down…” Eric bit back a sob, biting at his lower lip, and continuing to refuse to look at anyone. He remembered when he started to whisper, but it’s hard to hide tears from 20 children. Jack rubbed his hand up Eric’s arm to his shoulder and back down to his elbow, a motion meant to be soothing. Eric pressed his forehead into Jack’s chest, enjoying the moment, despite how short it lasted.

“Maybe I can talk to Ms. Grant to speed up the process, eh? All three of us are sold, all that’s left is the paperwork, right? I think it would be a good idea for you to clear your head before trying to talk to Sola about the situation though. Come on.” Jack placed his hand on Eric’s shoulder, turning him towards the door again. Before they moved away though, Jack turned back to Sola. “We’ll be right back, we just need to talk to Ms. Grant about the paperwork to get you home,” Jack flashed her a smile, and though she still looked apprehensive, she smiled back all the same.

Jack led Eric out of the room, and once they were on the other side of the kitchen door, Eric stopped holding back the tears, letting them fall. “Oh Jack, what if we can’t get her today? I’ll feel like I was just leading her on! You have a game day after tomorrow, and even if we could get the papers, we’d need both signatures… And who knows when I’ll be able to get more time off, or when you’ll have enough of a break between games. It’s March, playoffs start soon, and the Falconers are doing so well, and I don’t want the stress of this hanging over your head or messing with your game or-”

“Bits!” Jack interrupted, “It’s ok. It’ll all be ok. I promise. If we don’t get her today, we get her next week. We  _ will  _ have Sola in our family. Even if it takes a month or a year.” Eric gasped, horrified at the idea of leaving her here for another year. He pressed his face into his hands, at the same time that Jack pulled him to his chest. They stood there for a minute, Eric quietly sobbing into his hands, Jack rubbing little circles into his back. Finally, Jack sighed, and pushed Eric out at arm’s length. He waited patiently for the other man to drop his hands and look at him, and when he did, he searched his face for a moment, maybe for the right words, maybe just to take in all the details. “I’m going to go talk to Ms. Grant, you go to the bathroom and get your head on straight, ok? We’ll meet back here.” Eric nodded, and Jack gave his shoulders a squeeze. “We’ll be ok, you’ll see.” With a final smile, and a kiss to the forehead, Jack dropped his hands, and went off to find Ms. Grant’s office.

Eric went to the visitors bathroom, and splashed his face with water. After drying his face, he took a few deep breaths as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. He wasn’t going to break this little girl’s heart, especially not after he got her hopes up. Eric felt determined, chances were, once he laid eyes on Sola he would feel like crying again, but he still left the bathroom. He walked back to the kitchen where the kids were enjoying his cookies. He saw a few of them weren’t eating them despite having finished their lunch, and he made a mental note to ask Ms. Grant if the kids had any allergies or preferences, because he wanted to send some sweets their way every once in a while. 

Sola was still sitting where she had been, looking out the window, and, Eric noted happily, enjoying one of the cookies. He put on a smile, as genuine as he could, and walked her way. She looked up as he approached, giving her own smile. “These are really good. You make this stuff for a living?” Eric nodded, not quite trusting himself to speak. “Wow, I can’t wait to try your other things!” Her eyes widened, and so did her smile. Eric’s heart hurt just a little bit more, but he needed to say what he needed to say.

“Hey, Sola, I have a bit of a question to ask you. It’s real important, but I won’t be offended by your answer no matter what.” Eric steeled himself, looking her in the eyes. With a deep breath, he asked, “Would you want a new name?” Despite his confidence in asking, he dropped his eyes as soon as the words left his mouth. He looked somewhere to her left, avoiding her eyes until she spoke.

“You want to… rename me?” She didn’t sound hurt, only curious. Eric looked back to Sola. “I’ve never thought about having a different name… but I never really liked the one I have… so if you can think of one… I’m sure I’d like it.” She gave him a small smile, and he matched it, checking off the first thing he needed to say on his mental list.

“I appreciate it, Sola. Err… well we have a few ideas but we’d probably like you to pick one, but for now I’ll continue to call you Sola, if that’s ok?” When she nodded, Eric did once himself, and then took another deep breath. Time for the second thing on his mental list. “Now, Sola, I have something not so good to tell you. I have to go back home. The bakery called, and they are incredibly short-handed for tomorrow. They really regret pulling me back from my vacation, but they wouldn’t do it if they didn’t have a reason.” She frowned, and stared at him with her wide eyes, so he held up his hands to stave off any comments before he finished. “However, Jack is talking to Ms. Grant to try to speed up the process, and although I have to go home tonight, Jack will still be here for a few more days for his game, and if all goes well, he’ll be able to take you home.”

She still looked a bit put off, and her next words were spoken in a small voice only a child could have. “You’re leaving?” She’d put her cookie down, and wouldn’t look at him anymore. Eric reached out, putting a hand on the back of her chair in an effort to not be imposing but still comforting.

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to any more than you don’t want me to. You  _ will  _ come home with us, it just might take a bit longer than we hoped.” At that moment, Jack entered the room, holding a small stack of papers. Eric stood up, hopeful, but he knew better than to be too optimistic. “Jack, honey, you’re back! What’s the verdict?”

“Hey Bits. Ms. Grant was understanding, and had already prepared the paperwork yesterday,” he paused to look past Eric at Sola before continuing, “but it has to be completely filed and approved before we can take Sola home. And we have extra paperwork since we’re out of state. She said that it would take at least a week for it to be all completely processed. When I told her that neither one of us would be free in a week, she said that the paperwork wouldn’t need to be refiled until a month after the approval date.” There was a lot of information being thrown at Eric, and he tightened his grip on Sola’s chair.

“So… what you’re saying is, we have to wait a week before we can even think of taking her home, but since we both have work, we can’t.” He reached out to Jack with his free hand, and Jack took it in his own. “Honey, what are we going to do?” He felt like crying all over again, but he wasn’t going to do it. There was still hope. It would just take a lot longer to be realized.

“All we can do is fill out the paperwork as quick as possible. It’ll be fine, I promise.” Jack gave a comforting squeeze to Eric’s hand, and Eric squeezed back. Jack let go, and squatted down so he would be at eye level with Sola. “Hey, Sola, would you be ok with waiting for us?” She looked almost startled to be facing Jack like this, but she still gave an almost imperceptible nod to him. Eric watched the interaction thankful that Jack could keep his head. Jack smiled at her, and pulled out of his pocket a pencil and a small notebook that he usually used for thinking up plays on the go. He wrote for a while on one of the pages, and tore it out, folding it, and handed it over to Sola. She took it without dropping her eyes from his, but when he nodded at her, she unfolded it to look at what was scrawled on the page. “It’s our contact information. My number, Eric’s number, both of our emails, the number of the bakery, and the number of the assistant general manager for my team, Georgia Martin. You can always contact us on our own phones. If you can’t reach us and it’s really important, call one of these other numbers. No matter what, you are already our daughter.”

She ran a finger along the writing, hiding her face behind one of her braids. But Jack and Eric both caught her smile, and they smiled at each other in relief. Eric checked his watch, and his smile dropped.

“We should go. I still need to change my flight, and we should get started on those papers. At least you get to stay in New York for another two days…” Eric sighed, but put a hand on his husband’s shoulder as he walked past. There were still some cookies in the tupperware on the counter, and he asked a kid for a plate to put them on. As he waited for it, he watched his husband with their child. Eric wasn’t sure when he began to think of Sola as their child, but it sounded just right. He thanked the kid when he got the plate, and placed the remaining cookies on it. He stood there staring at the empty tupperware until Jack put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump.

“Oh! Honey you surprised me. Are you ready to go-” Eric was cut off by a pair of arms being thrown around his waist, as Sola, who they saw was about a head shorter than Eric, gave him a tight hug. Eric took a few seconds before he hugged her back, giving a smile to Jack again.

“Thank you for liking me, Mr. Eric. Don’t forget to come back for me,” Sola said. It was the type of thing a kid would be so blunt about, and Eric couldn’t help but give a soft chuckle.

“I won’t, I promise.” And with those words, they were out the door.

* * *

 

Jack and Eric finished the paperwork later that afternoon, and Eric’s flight had been rescheduled for that night out of Newark so he wouldn’t have to transfer flights or be on a plane for much more than an hour. The questions on the extra paperwork were along the lines of the interview questions, so they were easy to fill out, and Jack filled out the financial information on the main paperwork while Eric filled out the residential information. Once Eric filled out his section, it was time for him to head to the airport, since it was about a half hour drive to Newark, and he wanted to be there an hour early to have enough time to get through security. They were both quiet on the drive, Eric clutching his cellphone, watching New York turn into New Jersey.

Outside the airport, Jack offered to go in with him, but Eric just kissed his husband, grabbed his things, and gave a small wave. It’s not like it would be all that long until they would see each other again, whether it was through a screen, or in person. At least, that’s what Eric told himself.

The entire flight back, Eric looked out the window, already planning his next vacation—one that would give him enough time to pick up their daughter, and take her home. He figured he would spend his free time away from the bakery setting up her room. He’d ask Lardo about the proper equipment for an artist, and maybe ask her to paint Sola’s room. No, not Sola anymore. Jack and he had decided on a name, and Jack would let Eric know after he dropped off the papers what she thought of it. And then, she would no longer be Sola, and forever be a Zimmermann-Bittle.

Once landed in Providence, Eric got a cab back to their home, already running over the plan for tomorrow’s day at the bakery.

~

Jack, meanwhile, looked over the paperwork, alone in their hotel room. His plan for the next morning was to go to the gym in the hotel (Eric had made him promise not to jog around the streets of New York), then go to the orphanage to hand over the papers. First though, he’d ask Sola about her new name. Then, depending on how she liked it, he would write it in on the papers, and go to Ms. Grant to finally file them. After his last day of free time, he’ll check out of this hotel, then rejoin his team for practice the next morning and a game that night. After that, he wouldn’t be home to Eric for another week.

Jack sighed, turning in for the night. Hopefully these plans would work out better than the previous one.

* * *

 

Jack pulled up to the orphanage early in the morning. He’d asked Ms. Grant when the kids went to school when he picked up the papers, so that he could be there to catch Sola before she left. When he walked in, all the older kids who had school were milling around in the foyer, including Sola, who, on spotting Jack, ran over and gave him a hug. Jack was caught off guard for a moment but soon hugged her back. He was relieved that she felt comfortable enough with him, since he let Eric do most of the talking over the past two days.

“What are you doing here so early, Mr. Jack?” Sola asked, looking up at him with a smile. Jack wonders if she’ll continue to call them “Mr”. He gently pushed her away so he could bend down to her eye level, giving her his own smile.

“I came by to drop off the paperwork, and to ask you a very important question. Can you come off to the side for a minute?” He gestured to an area less inhabited by excited children. She quietly nodded, and he led them to that corner. “Me and Eric talked a lot last night before he headed back home, about what name we should offer you. And, we want you to approve it, especially since it could be your name for the rest of your life.” He took a deep breath, before pulling out his notebook. “Here, we wrote it down.”

Written on the page was the full name: Rosaline Zimmermann-Bittle. When they discussed names, they had written down various ones they liked. Eric had suggested Rosie, and Jack had suggested Rosaline, and since Rosie could be a nickname, and the name was the only one that overlapped, they had selected it. Sola took the notebook in her hands, running her fingers along the scrawled letters, like she did yesterday. She mouthed it to herself a couple times.

“This is my name? This is my name.” She looked up at Jack. “This is my name.” She said it a third time, but this time it was less of an affirmation and more a statement of fact. Sola smiled so widely, that Jack knew she was Rosaline now. Rosaline looked at him, with so much love already in her eyes, that Jack wanted to take her home right away so both him and Eric could be able to spoil her rotten. Regretfully, they still had to wait the week, and wait until Eric could get time off to get her.

“Alright then, Rosaline. I have to go turn in the paperwork, and you have to go to school today.” He smiled widely at her, and she practically glowed hearing her new name. “Don’t forget, you can always call us or our friends, even if you just want to talk. Especially if you just want to talk.” Jack gave her a final hug, then went to go find Ms. Grant to give her the paperwork. At about the same time, the kids were led out the door by a different worker, and Rosaline waved bye to Jack as she ended the group. Ms. Grant took the paperwork from Jack and reminded him again about the timeline: a week to get filed and approved, a month from then until the approval gets voided.

Jack left feeling a little lighter, but still with a heavy heart as he went to go rejoin his team.

* * *

 

Eric was just pulling the current batch of cookies out of the oven when Tyler came into the kitchen, which he was only allowed to do if it was important.

“Hey, Eric, phone call from New York. Said it was important, and you weren’t answering your cell.” He offered over the landline, and Eric took it with a curious smile. Tyler didn’t stick around, instead going back to the front to deal with customers.

Eric turned his attention to the phone in his hand, holding it up to his ear. “Hello?”

“Hello, Mr. Zimmermann-Bittle? This is Cassidy Grant.” Eric stopped everything he was doing, and checked the date. A week to the day that Jack had filed the paperwork.

“Yes? Did it go through?” He could barely contain his excitement and hope, but he was already searching for his cell phone to text Jack.

“I’m happy to say it did! Rosaline is officially yours! You just have to come by and pick her and her things up, and then you will have your daughter,” she said. Eric barely heard the last part, he was smiling so wide. “This is a reminder as well that from this point on, you have a month to get her.”

Eric was nodding before he remembered he was on the phone, and said, “Yes of course. I’ll have to see about getting time off, and I’ll have to come alone since Jack is busy with his games, but a month is plenty of time.”

“Well, that’s wonderful to hear. She is looking forward to it.” There was a pause on the other end, and Eric was about to ask if there was anything else when Ms. Grant spoke again, “Would you like to talk to her? She’s here in her room.”

“Yes, definitely!” Eric was about to talk to his daughter for the first time as his daughter. He heard the phone change hands, and waited.

“Hello Mr. Eric…” Eric would always love being called that, but he was looking forward to the day that she would call him dad, or some other word for it.

“Hi Rosaline, sweetie! How are you? I know it’s been awhile, and it’ll be a while longer, but soon we’ll have you home with us. We are both really excited to welcome you home,” he said truthfully. Every conversation between Jack and him over the past week started and ended with talking about her.

“I’m excited too. When are you coming to get me?” It was innocent enough, but Eric could tell there was a longing there he would never really understand. But he knew that he wasn’t going to make her wait much longer than he already has.

“Next week at the latest. I need to get time off work, but soon you’ll be on a one-way trip to Providence, Rhode Island. Since I just got the news I can get you, I don’t have any definite plans yet, but soon, sweetie. We’ll be one big happy family, yeah?” Eric was still smiling, and he hoped that it sounded on the other end.

“Ok, Mr. Eric! Oh, and can you tell Mr. Jack that I’m looking forward to it too?”

“Remember that list of numbers and emails Mr. Jack gave you? You can tell him yourself, and he’ll appreciate it a lot if you would.” Eric finally found his cell phone, noting the missed calls, before opening it to text Jack. “I’m gonna tell him that we’ve got a daughter, but you can tell him everything else, ok? He’d love to hear your voice, just like I’m loving hearing it now.”

“Ok… Thank you for adopting me, Mr. Eric.” She sounded bashful, and Eric wanted to hug her.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said.

After the phone call ended, Eric sent off a quick series of exclamation points to Jack before going to return the landline. Jack had a game later, but maybe not worrying about the fate of their family would help him play that much better and win for her. The two had known each other for so long, that Eric was sure Jack would know what he meant, based solely on that one text. Eric returned to his job, thankful that he had only had one tray of cookies in the oven that were done at the start of the call. He began to plate the cookies, while keeping an eye on the rest of the timers, and also trying to think of a good time to tell Cynthia that he would need to take yet another vacation day, this time to retrieve his daughter.

As he finished the plate, preparing to put it out front, Cynthia herself came bustling in, taking the plate from Eric’s hands and putting it down, before taking his hands in her own.

“Eric, sweetheart, Tyler told me you got a call from New York. Does that mean the paperwork was approved?” Eric had told her all about Rosaline and the situation the day he showed up to work, so all Eric had to do was nod before she grabbed him in a tight hug. “Oh sweetheart that’s wonderful! Let me know when you need to go, I’ll make sure Amanda is free, or even just close the bakery for a day or two.” Before Eric could protest, she continued, “Family is the most important thing Eric. This is your chance to add something that wasn’t there before. You and Jack, you deserve this happiness, go and get it. The bakery can do without its manager or even customers for a day.”

Eric hugged her back, just as tightly. “Thank you, Cynthia. I need to get her this week, waiting this much is killing me. I don’t think I could bear any longer.”

“Then I’ll call Amanda. I’m serious though, I will close this bakery for a day so you can go get your happiness,” she threatened. Eric laughed, and she shooed him away from the plate before bustling to the front..

Eric turned back to the timers, a smile fixed to his face. Nothing could ruin his mood.

* * *

 

It was another four days until Amanda could come in to take over for Eric’s work. She only worked part-time, and wasn’t too experienced, but was welcome help for Cynthia when Eric couldn’t come in for some reason or another. And this reason trumped all else. Eric had booked the plane tickets (one ticket there, two tickets back) the instant Cynthia confirmed the day, and all Eric had to do was wait.

The day of the phone call, Jack called before his game started to confirm his suspicions, and when Eric watched the game from the TV later, it was undeniable the smile Jack wore the entire time. The announcers couldn’t make sense of it, and the other team kind of avoided Jack, leaving him open for some pretty nice scoring chances, allowing the Falconers to win the game easily. After the game, in the post-game interviews, Jack was still smiling, and a brave reporter asked the question: why was he so happy before and during the game?

“Yeah, sorry about that. My husband told me before the game that our adoption papers had gone through. I didn’t want to say anything until it was certain, but we have a daughter now!” Jack beamed at the reporters, and his team cheered in the background. “The only thing I care about now is getting through this road trip, and getting home to my family. Thank you.”

In their skype call later, Jack told Eric how he had been chirped to death over it, through the whole game and after the reporters left. He told him how one guy even said that Jack had to adopt a kid before each game now, because a happy smiling Jack was good luck. Eric let him know just how long it took them to find the first one, and Jack laughed, complaining about chirps from all sides.

Over the next three days, Eric prepared Rosaline’s bedroom. He enlisted the help of Lardo and the boys to decorate the room, something fit for a 13 year old girl who liked to draw. Lardo painted the walls a soft shade of green that faded darker closer to the floor and offered to buy an entire art set, which Eric readily agreed to. Ransom and Holster assembled the furniture, while the Frogs (as they would always be) helped stock it, books going on the bookshelf and sheets for the bed. Eric was already setting a day aside to go with Rosaline and buy her an entire wardrobe, but promised the boys and Lardo that her size would be sent their way. All of them helped decorate, though they left enough room on the walls for some of Rosaline’s own art to hang. Eric for his part took the framed picture that she gave him when they first met, and placed it on the dresser, right where it belonged.

Finally, it was the day. Eric woke up early, and rushed getting ready to make it to the airport with plenty of time. For once, he didn’t care how early he woke up. The flight wasn’t very long, but he wanted to pick her up as early as possible. He arrived at the orphanage at 10 am, and as soon as he walked in, a small flying thing attacked him, hugging him around the waist.

“Mr. Eric! You came! Are we going… home now?” She stumbled around the word ‘home’, but Rosaline beamed up at him, and Eric felt himself smiling back.

“Of course! Do you have everything you wanted to take with you?” Rosaline detached herself, and ran back to the edge of the foyer, where a green backpack and a duffel bag sat, both of which she picked up and turned around with a look of triumph on her face.

“Yup! I am ready to go!” She was all smiles and excitement, and Eric was the same. Ms. Grant was there in the foyer too, a small smile on her face, as she walked over to shake Eric’s hand.

“Thank you, Mr. Zimmermann-Bittle. She has not stopped smiling, or stopped talking about hockey. We called your husband the day after we called you, and he told her he won a game because of her. After that, she begged to watch the next game, and she learned everything she could about it. I think she wants a jersey.” She laughed, but Eric nodded understandingly.

He laughed too. “There’s no way Jack won’t give her one. I had to convince some of our friends to not give her theirs, since they’re on different teams. She’ll have to meet them first before they do stuff like that. I should go help her,” Eric added, watching Rosaline drag her bag over. “Thank you for everything, Ms. Grant.”

Ms. Grant waved to them goodbye, and then they were out the door of the orphanage, for the last time, and together at last.

~

Rosaline was quiet the entire trip back, but Eric knew she was happy. It radiated off her, and brightened the already sunny mood in the car. As they boarded the plane, she reached out and tentatively took his hand in hers. Eric smiled down at her. The trip was quick, and the drive home from the airport wasn’t quick enough. Eric pulled into the driveway of their house, and stopped the car, before turning to Rosaline.

“Welcome to your new home. No matter where we live, that place will always be your home. Because our home will be when all of us are together. Let’s get inside, alright?” She was speechless, and only nodded, but Eric was satisfied. She waited for him beside the car, instead of bounding to the front door like he expected, as he went to retrieve their things from the back. When he reached where she was standing, she again reached out with her hand, and he met her halfway with his, and the two walked hand in hand to the front door.

When Eric unlocked the door and swung it open, a spray of confetti and offkey cheers of “Welcome home!” rang out, from the people standing in their living room. Lardo and the boys, Cynthia and the crew from the bakery, and standing there, in the center of it all, was Jack. Jack, who was supposed to have another game tomorrow in Chicago, who wasn’t going to be home for another two days, who had  _ promised  _ not to fly home just to welcome their daughter in. Jack swooped the two up into a hug, lifting both off their feet to an indignant squawk from Eric and a giggle from Rosaline.

“Jack! You promised not to fly home! You have a game tomorrow, in Chicago! Put me down!” Eric squirmed, and Jack finally let the two go. He ruffled Rosaline’s hair, causing her to giggle again, and leaned down to kiss Eric.

“I know, but George made me promise not to miss her coming home. She put me on a plane. I’m on the first flight back tomorrow morning.” Eric softened his glare, and made a mental note to thank Georgia later with a pie. Eric hugged Jack back, keeping his feet planted on the ground, and reached an arm out to draw Rosaline in. The three of them stood there hugging, oblivious to the shutter sounds coming from Lardo’s camera. Later, Eric would thank Lardo for capturing the moment. It’s one he would want to remember for the rest of his life—the moment they became a family of three.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, let me know what you think, comments, kudos, [tumblr](http://loveyoutoobits.tumblr.com/) messages, all appreciated!


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